Vero Beach Regional Airport

The airport originated in 1929, and it was built by a group including one Bud Holman (whose suns and grandsons now operate Sun Aviation). The airport was dedicated in 1930, and the first activity occurred in 1932 when Eastern Air Lines began refueling there. In 1935, the airline started both passenger and mail service (which continued until 1973). Improvements to the runway were made in the 1930s with the installation of lights, and in 1939-1940 the runways were extended and the Civil Aviation Administration contributed a further $250,000 on improvements. In 1942 the airport was used as a naval air station, and the U.S. Navy purchased 1,500 acres surrounding the airport. Known as Naval Air Station Vero Beach, it served as a training facility for Naval Aviators. In 1944 the base changed to night-fighter training, whereas Witham Field in Stuart was designated a subordinate base to Vero Beach, while airfields in Sebastian/Roseland and Fort Pierce served as outlying landing fields. At its peak, Vero Beach was home to 250 aircraft and 1,400 U.S. Nave and U.S. Marine Corps personnel. Following the culmination of the war, the base was closed in 1947, and the airport was returned to the city for use as a civil airport. As there were still many barracks on-site, in 1948, Bud Holman invited the Brooklyn Dodgers from Major League Baseball to use the facilities for winter and spring training. The Dodgers made the 109-acre plot next to the airport Dodgertown, and they continued using it until 2008 (when they moved to Glendale, Arizona). Piper Aircraft selected Vero Beach as a research and development center in 1957 (using the former naval air station), and in 1961 they moved their administrative and manufacturing operations to the airport as well. By 1967, the facility was expanded to 11 acres (their workforce numbered over 2,000). Unfortunately, manufacturing ceased in the mid-1980s due to rising product liability insurance premiums. Still, it resumed in 1995 upon passing legislation limiting liability by the U.S. Congress (the legislation was passed in the early 1990s).
 

The airport is located one mile northwest of Vero Beach. 

• FlightSafety Academy is a leading flight training school located at VRB. 
• Elite Airways has less-than-daily service to Newark Liberty International Airport and Asheville Regional Airport.